Bands like New York’s own BIG HUGE seem to exist sometimes for the single purpose of making you remember the past, only to suddenly find yourself relishing in its fascination. Power pop was an American counterpunch to the British Invasion of the '60s and in their 2017 record CRUEL WORLD BIG HUGE channels it beautifully. With the fun and upbeat tempos of power pop heroes like Cheap Trick well ingrained into songs like “WENT BAD” and “LOST CLASSIC” the group takes full liberty to crank up the style to one hundred with fuzzy vocals and crunchy guitar licks that will shine proto-garage undertones at you. This New York City quintet remains above everything faithful to themselves, catch them on April 15th at Brooklyn Bazaar. - Rene Cobar

B-17 are a psychedelic garage rock band that’s bringing back that sloppy MC-5 type sound. The guitars are fuzzy and heavy while the drums thump and the vocals drone. Influenced by vintage garage rock like the Stooges but also the heavy space rock like Hawkwind, their latest record “Goodbye” will have you rockin’ out while flying through space. You can witness it all live on March 14th at The Monarch Tavern with The High Dials (Montreal) and Lacquer. – Kris Gies

New York’s Strange Majik had no intention of reinventing the wheel on last year’s Channel T, an acidic tour de force of vintage rock and roll. The record has its fair share of winks and nods to the titans of yesteryear, primarily Jagger and Hendrix, never straying into territory we’d define as “experimental” by contemporary standards. That being said, Strange Majik’s intentional decision to hone their guitar chops and produce something very AM radio appropriate is part of the reason Channel T is the kickass album it is. There are no bells and whistles, no indie gimmicks that have become increasingly common as a means of cutting through the noise; it’s just impeccable, classic musicianship from start to finish.

Buzzsaws, the latest release by Brooklyn-based glam rock multi-instrumentalist Nat Brower, is an album soaked in acid and brimming with classic panache. From record opener “Real Girl” and its syncopated, raucous guitar work interwoven with tight percussive builds, Brower cultivates soundscapes reminiscent of The Kinks and The Stooges, channeling them through a DIY framework in terms of production. This gives the entirety of Buzzsaws a feeling that is both vintage and contemporary, an album built upon polished instrumentalism that is still raw, rock and roll to its core - a perfect blend of the genre’s old and new characteristics that is instantly jammable.

Brower will bring his classic-yet-contemporary soundscapes to The Gutter on January 24th, alongside The Glitch, Huh, and HARMS. Stream 2018’s Buzzsaws below. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

The Deli Magazine was born in NYC's Attorney Street in 2004, in the shape of a print issue with a then unknown band on its cover, called Grizzly Bear. Ths NYC blog came in 2005, then the SF one in 2006, and then 9 more in the following years. The Deli is focused on the coverage of emerging bands and solo artists with a 100% local focus - no exceptions!